


Carry On

by Headfulloffantasies



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Carry On- Episode, Destiel if you squint - Freeform, Fix-It, Heaven, Miracle the dog, No rusty nails, Sam marries Eileen, Supernatural Finale, The Empty, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headfulloffantasies/pseuds/Headfulloffantasies
Summary: Sam and Dean figure out how to get Castiel back from the Empty.
Relationships: Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Carry On

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked the opening to the episode Carry On, so consider this picking up from the Pie Fest scene.

Carry On

The Pie Fest had everything from Dean’s wildest dreams. Sam sat and watched Dean charm every pie vendor with his enthusiasm and praise. Dean came back to join Sam on the bench with a massive collection of pie plates. Miracle woofed and snuffled the edge of the box. Sam tugged his leash. 

“Isn’t this the best?” Dean grabbed the cherry pie first.

Sam didn’t answer.

“Okay, what’s up?” Dean asked through a mouthful. 

“What?” Sam asked.

“You’re wearing your Sad Sam face,” Dean said.

Sam shrugged. “I miss Jack and Cas.”

Dean put down his plate. He wiped his sombre mouth with the back of his hand. “I do, too. And I think it’s time.”

Sam frowned. “Time for what?”

“Time to get Cas back,” Dean answered. 

Sam almost choked. “He’s in the Empty, Dean.”

“So?” Dean folded his eyebrows in challenge. “We’ve pulled people out of Hell, Purgatory, even Heaven. Why’s the Empty any different?”

“We sacrificed lives for that,” Sam reminded him. “Usually our own.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah.” He glared off into space for a minute. Sam watched Dean’s jaw work while he thought. “But it’s Cas, man. We gotta try.”

Sam nodded. “Okay. Have you tried asking Jack for help?”

“Yeah,” Dean shook his head. “Radio silence.”

“Me too,” Sam admitted. “So, do you have another plan?”

“Yep,” Dean stood. He left his box of pie on the bench and started walking. Sam fumbled to grab Miracle’s leash and follow. 

“Dean,” Sam caught up to his brother at the Impala. “What do you mean you have a plan?”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Dean said as he juggled his keys. “And I’ve got a way to get the Empty’s attention.”

“How?” Sam demanded.

Dean smiled.

****

Sam marvelled at how easily a spell could be assembled in the bunker. The Men of Letters kept a dedicated inventory in their pantry. The shelves in the bowels of the bunker held jars of jellified monster organs, vials of demon blood, angel grace, and other viscus fluids. The boxes of powdered bone, herb, and claw sat in meticulously order labelled in a spidery scrawl. 

Sam gathered what they needed for the summoning. The dried hemlock rattled in its bottle as Sam climbed back up the stairs to the map table. He laid out the gold ore and the mace. Dean joined Sam from the direction of the bedrooms.

“Miracle’s locked in my room for now,” Dean said. “If this goes south, I have an email scheduled to send to Eileen. She’ll come get him.”

Sam flinched at the mention of Eileen. He’d avoided talking to her for the last week. He couldn’t face seeing her after losing her to Chuck. He knew he’d break down. But if they got Cas back, he promised himself he’d Skype her.

Sam swallowed hard. “Ready?”

“Ready or not,” Dean nodded.

Sam assembled the spell on the table and chanted the incantation. 

The spell ignited in flames. Sam shielded his eyes. 

Through the smoke a figure appeared. A woman stood on the other side of the table. Sam immediately thought of a Norse goddess, with her gold hair twisted in a braid down her back and ice blue eyes burning holes in his skull. 

“Winchesters,” she spat.

“You’re a reaper?” Sam feigned surprise to get her attention. 

It worked. The reaper turned her cold eyes on him. “That’s what your little spell is for, isn’t it? What do you want?”

“We have an offer for you,” Sam said. He kept his eyes glued on her face and ignored Dean sliding closer to the reaper. Silver glinted in Dean’s fist.

“I don’t deal with Winchesters,” the reaper snarled.

“It’s not a negotiation,” Sam said.

Dean pounced. He drove the angel blade hiding behind his back into the reaper’s chest. She screamed as holy light engulfed her from the inside. The light extinguished and she crumpled to the ground.

“Now we wait?” Dean panted. 

The reaper didn’t move. 

“What if this doesn’t work?” Sam asked as the seconds ticked by.

The reaper gasped. In a swooping movement she stood. A scythe materialised in her hand. 

“Well, hello Death,” Dean drawled. 

“Do you realise what you’ve done?” Death growled. 

“Yep,” Dean smirked. “We made ourselves a living key to get through to the Empty.”

“The Empty?” Death’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re using Lucifer’s plan? I knew you were idiots, but this takes the cake. Lucifer died working on this plan.”

Dean’s smirk spread wider. “Not exactly. The devil died because he crossed us. So, what’s it going to be, Miss Grim Reaper? And before you say no, remember we’ve killed three Deaths so far.”

Death surveyed them with contempt. Her fingers tightened on the scythe. At last she said, “I have the memories of all past incarnations of Death. The previous two underestimated you. But the first, he admired you. He thought it was amusing the way you scampered around this planet thinking you could change fate.” She cocked her head. “I will open the door to the Empty for you. Only because you’ve restored the order of Death. And because I believe she will consume you whole.”

Death slashed her scythe through the air. A void opened in the center of the room. Black like oil oozed out onto the floor.

“Good luck, Winchesters.” Death vanished.

Sam and Dean faced the void. Sam let out a nervous breath. “Here we go.”

The Empty stepped out of the hole in the universe. Sam always found it disconcerting that she looked like Meg. She probably knew how it made him feel.

“Winchesters,” the Empty sneered. “You’ve woken me for the last time.”

“Tough nuggets,” Dean lifted his chin. “We’re here to get Cas back.”

“The broken angel?” The Empty tipped her head. “No, I don’t think so. I worked so hard to get him back.”

“How about a trade?” Dean said.

Sam startled. “What?”

“Me for Cas,” Dean offered.

“Dean,” Sam snapped. “No. We promised we weren’t doing this anymore. No more trading lives.”

“Well, I lied.” Dean wouldn’t look at Sam. He kept his glare squarely on the Empty and her disdainful face. “What do you say, one Winchester for an angel?”

“No!” Sam shouted. 

“Sam,” Dean’s voice stayed frustratingly even. “This is my choice.”

“Then take me instead,” Sam said to the Empty.

“Don’t!” Dean whirled on Sam at last. “Sam, I have to. He sacrificed himself for me.”

“And you two should be happy together,” Sam argued.

“What about Eileen?”

Sam recoiled as if Dean had hit him. “Low blow,” he said quietly. Dean lifted his chin in defiance.

The Empty looked as though she wished she had a bucket of popcorn. “This is fun,” she said. “But I have a different offer. Both Winchesters for Castiel.”

“What?” Sam and Dean said in unison.

“You heard me,” the Empty giggled. “You both have a happily ever after out there. But if I take you both, not even Castiel gets to be happy. I think that’s kind of perfect.”

“I don’t.”

Sam knew that voice in the bottom of his soul. He turned. 

Jack stood at the bunker’s front door. Sam’s heart squeezed. Jack looked exactly as he had when he became one with the earth or whatever he’d done. Jack descended the twisted stair as the Empty hissed. 

“What are you doing here?” She backed away from Jack.

Jack ignored her and raised one hand towards Sam and Dean. “Hello. I’m sorry I’m late. I was following a butterfly.”

“Get out of here, kid,” the Empty growled.

Jack turned on her. “We have to talk.”

Light spread outwards from Jack and enveloped The Empty. The Empty and Jack vanished in a flash of white light.

In their place stood a figure in a trench coat with dark hair and blue eyes. 

“Cas,” Dean gasped. He streaked across the room and hit Cas at full speed. Cas hardly rocked at the impact. He wrapped his arms around Dean. 

“Hello Dean.” 

Sam’s knees felt weak at the sound of Cas’ low rumble. He moved and hugged both Dean and Cas. “Man, we missed you.”

“We all missed you.” Jack stood at the bottom of the stairs again. Sam’s hands itched to reel Jack into the group hug. He refrained only because he refused to let go of the back of Dean’s collar.

“What happened, Jack?” Sam asked.

“I made a deal with the Empty.”

Sam’s hackles raised. He stepped out of the huddle. “What did you do?”

Jack smiled. “We came to a mutually beneficial agreement. I realised that Purgatory is a waste of space. So, from now on all monsters will go to the Empty and humans will go to Heaven or Hell as they deserve.”

“That’s… Really smart,” Dean admitted. His hand had not moved from Cas’ shoulder.

Jack grinned. “Thank you.” He stepped forward. “Are you ready to go now?”

Sam frowned. “Go where?”

“Heaven, of course,” Jack said. “Your work is done. Earth is safe from Chuck and the Empty. It’s time to go home.”

“We are home,” Dean said firmly. 

Jack nodded. “Then call me when you’re ready.” 

“Wait-,” Sam reached out. Too late. Jack was gone again.

Dean’s laugh caught Sam’s attention. Dean held tight to the back of Cas’ coat again. Cas’ face buried in Dean’s neck. Sam smiled and excused himself to go call Eileen.

***

Sam’s wedding looked nothing like his nuptials with Becky in Vegas. Dean stood tall beside Sam, beaming from ear to ear as Eileen came down the aisle. Bobby officiated. The seats filled with hunters. Charlie, Jody, Donna, Kaia, Alex, Patience, Garth and his family, and dozens of others came to celebrate with Sam and Eileen. Sam’s heart filled to bursting to see everyone he loved in one place. Claire pretended to be grumpy when she agreed to be the flower girl, but as she walked in front of Eileen, she grinned. Cas volunteered to be the ring bearer, so long as Claire was okay walking down the aisle with him. They looked so happy together, the relationship finally patched over. The scars would remain, but they both had healed enough to move on. 

After the ceremony, everyone wanted to know if Sam and Eileen would move out into their own place. Sam and Eileen shared a secret smile and told everyone they hadn’t decided yet. 

Dean found Sam. He clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.” Tears shone in Dean’s eyes. “You found your happily ever after, dude.”

“That’s kind of creepy coming out of your mouth,” Sam teased. 

Dean tugged Sam’s arm. “C’mon. You’re going to miss your honeymoon. Eileen’s been giving me the stink eye for not having you at the car on time.”

Eileen sat in the front seat of the Impala with the door hanging open. Her dress’ skirt spilled out onto the ground. 

Dean handed Sam the keys with a hug.

“Promise me you won’t be consummating the marriage in the backseat,” Dean said. 

Sam laughed. 

***

Sam and Eileen did move out, but not until they found out they were pregnant. Little Bobby John needed a backyard and a picket fence, Eileen insisted. 

Dean and Cas stayed in the bunker and handled hunting down all the things that went bump in the night. Sam, Eileen, and their kids came over for Sunday dinner every week. When he remembered, Jack joined them. 

For years it was perfect. Life went on. 

Then it ended. 

Dean’s joints ached as he climbed down the stairs into the bunker after a vampire hunt. Cas steadied Dean with a hand on his back. All these years later, Cas looked more like Dean’s son than his brother. 

“I think it’s time,” Dean said. 

Cas frowned. “Are you sure?”

“I already told Sam,” Dean admitted. “I can’t keep going. You did all the work on this hunt anyways. I don’t want to get useless and old. Older.”

“If you’re sure,” Cas said.

“You’ll be there, right?” Dean asked nervously. 

“I’ll be right behind you,” Cas nodded.

Dean lowered himself into a chair. “Jack,” he called out. “I’m ready.”

Jack appeared directly in front of him. Decades later, Jack looked exactly as he had the day he transcended to cosmic power. He raised one hand. “Hello. Come with me, Dean.”

Dean took Jack’s offered hand. He blinked. 

A forest spread out to the foot of a range of purple mountains. Dean sat on a porch in the shade. He looked up. He knew this ugly old shack. The Harvell Roadhouse. 

Cas materialised beside Dean. “What do you think?”

“I love it,” Dean said. He leaned back. His chair leaned with him. Dean shot to his feet. The rocking chair rocked innocently. Dean swore and kicked it over. “Somehow this is your fault.” Dean stuck a finger in Cas’ face.

Cas tipped his head quizzically. But his eyes sparkled with mirth.

Dean’s rage subsided. “How long do we have to wait for Sam?”

“Not long,” Cas said. “Time moves faster in Heaven.”

The Roadhouse door opened. Sam strode out. He wasn’t the stooped old man Dean remembered. He stood tall and moved easily. “Hi Dean. Bobby John says hello.”

Dean wrapped Sam in a hug. “We did it.”

“We did,” Sam nodded. “Now what?”

“Now we enjoy the reward,” Dean smiled. “There’s peace now that we’re done.”


End file.
